Infection
by blader-chick13
Summary: An Itachi centric one shot. It was glorious how this pride ran through their veins like a sickness they couldn't cure.


**An Itachi centric tale involving his dealing with the Uchiha curse and who would inherit this infection after him. Not shonen-ai or yaoi but simply train of thought.**

**Disclaimer: Sasuke and Itachi Uchiha belong to their creator, **_Masashi Kishimoto_**, from the manga/anime **_Naruto_

The Uchiha family.

It was like a shock in itself.

You heard the name and instantly you were at attention.

You spoke respectfully about the name and all its members, no matter how you loved or hated them. No matter if you actually respected them or if you were simply terrified to utter ill words into their bloodline.

As the life progressed of Itachi Uchiha, he found this to be boring and aimless. Why? It was for the simple reason that because of the name he'd been forced to have at birth, the world expected perfection. Konoha expected perfection. His own father expected perfection. It wasn't a matter of choice that with those looming years of having rules, strategy and logic drilled into his brain that the feeling of pride started to grow thick through his veins.

He hadn't _wanted_ to feel superior but suddenly, no one could beat him. He had never once _prayed_ he could be the best without even trying and yet it happened to be so. He wondered even as he lingered at home or school if he was actually as good as he portrayed or if everyone was simply letting him slip by.

This pride grew quickly and wildly, spreading it's simple and yet powerful virus through every stem of Itachi's being until finally, he couldn't hold back anymore. The pride was there. He didn't question how brilliant he was: he knew he was the best. He no longer bothered to mingle with people unworthy; they didn't deserve his attention.

Ohh but he was well aware of this virus the name Uchiha created. He'd breathed it in and now it would be the cancer to sit in his lungs until the end of time. No matter what he did, someone would always remember. But how to be remembered ...

This was a question Itachi changed the answer to very frequently. Rise up in superiority or go down in glory? So many choices revolved around those two and never could he choose one.

That is, until he started to notice that somebody else was (very slowly) started to run at the back of his heels. By no surprise, it was a person of his own blood. Not only that but his own brother.

Sasuke Uchiha; would he inherit this curse?

Itachi found this to be an experiment and tried his best to not give Sasuke enough information to catch up to him. Of course the boy tried but he never was acknowledged for it. Why he bothered was beyond Itachi: he'd never beat him. Ever.

That wasn't until Itachi started to notice that Sasuke was progressing a lot faster than he had expected without his help. He saw this as a threat and finally decided how he wished to be remembered:

He'd go down in glory.

The challenge here would be if he would take Sasuke with him or not.

Oh he adored his brother like any sibling does. He also hated him with just as much passion.

So he tested his capacity and the entire Uchiha clan fell before his pride and ceased to exist. The entire bloodline curse down the drain simply because he raised a hand and commanded it so.

When it came time to pick off the final piece, Itachi had a change of heart. As he stood there before his sibling, this virus for once trickling down the outside of his skin, he challenged him.

But that was the past and this was now.

Itachi had left his brother alive and with time, he grew to fully enjoy that decision and the feeling only grew when he finally heard the words he'd been waiting for.

Sasuke was coming to kill him.

Had the virus of the Uchiha pride infected him too?

Because of Itachi's hand, he'd wiped out the stain and cleaned up the mess. The world wiped them off its earth. Konoha recalled the Uchiha's only in a passing memory locked away in the back of their minds. As for his father, well Itachi couldn't care less what he thought of him. Sasuke was his only remaining blood and since he aimed to kill him, the want for perfection from a Uchiha had died away at last.

And you know, people didn't talk like that anymore.

**END**

**Review, please!**


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